Ecosystem

Structure and
Characteristic

by-
Tanisha Ameriya
Lecturer
Department of Environmental Science
IIS (deemed to be University)
Email: tanisha.ameriya@iisuniv.ac.in
 ECOSYSTEM
• The term ecosystem was first coined by A.G. Tansely.

• Ecosystem consists of two words: Eco means

‘environment’ and system means ‘interaction’.

• According to A.G. Tansely “an Ecosystem is the

system resulting from the integration of all the living
and non-living factors of environment”.

• According to E.P. Odum, the “ecosystem is the basic

functional unit of organism and their environment
interaction with each other and with their own
components”.

• It is a self-sustaining structural and functional interaction

between living and non-living components.

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• It is a biological environment
consisting of all the organisms living
in a particular area, as well as the
non-living, physical components of
the environment with which the
organisms interact, such as air, soil,
water and sunlight.

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TYPES OF
ECOSYSTEM
Terrestrial Ecosystem Aquatic Ecosystem Natural
Ecosystems

Lentic Lotic Marine

ecosystem - ecosystem - ecosystem -

LAKES RIVERS
FOREST ECOSYSTEM DESERT ECOSYSTEM
OCEANS

PONDS
STREAMS
GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEM MOUNTAIN ECOSYSTEM

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SWAMPS
Artificial Ecosystems

Aquarium Greenhouse Cropland

Garden Zoo Spacecraft ecosystem

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COMPONENTS OF ECOSYST EM

Biotic Component Abiotic Component

• Producers • Light

• Consumers • Precipitation

• Decomposers • Soil

• Water

• Air

• Humidity

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 BIOT IC FACTORS
• It comprises of all the living and dead plants, animals and microbes.
PRODUCERS
• Also called as autotrophs
• These are the photosynthetic
plants which produces food
from inorganic raw
materials with the help of
sunlight.
• In the terrestrial ecosystem
producers are mainly the
rooted plants.
• In aquatic ecosystems these
includes - phytoplankton and
macrophytes (shallow rooted
plants)
CONSUMERS DECOMPOSERS
• Also called as heterotrophs. • They feed on the dead
decay matter of plants and
• Are of three types:-
animals and break down the
complex organic compound
1. Herbivores (primary
into simpler forms. For e.g.,
consumer) feed directly on the
Bacteria, Fungi, Protozoa,
plants. For e.g., deer, rabbit,
etc.
cattle, etc.
2. Primary Carnivores
(secondary consumers) feed
on the herbivorous animals. For
e.g., frog, small fishes, etc.
3. Secondary Carnivores
(tertiary consumers) feeds on
the primary carnivores. For e.g.,
wolf, peacock, owl, etc
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 Ecosystem
Function

Sample Footer Text 9

• The components of the ecosystem are seen to function as a
unit when we consider the following aspects:
Productivity
Decomposition
Energy Flow
nutrient cycling

• Productivity: the productivity of an ecosystem is the rate at

which solar energy is fixed by the vegetation of the
ecosystem; it is further classified into primary productivity,
secondary productivity and net productivity.

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• Decomposition: the process of breakdown of complex organic
matter into inorganic substances like carbon dioxides, water
and nutrients.

• It includes the following steps:

1. Fragmentation

2. Leaching

3. Catabolism

4. Humification

5. Mineralization
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• Energy Flow: Energy in an ecosystem originally comes from the sun.
• Energy flows through ecosystem from producers to consumers in an
unidirectional manner.

• The energy flow in an ecosystem works on law of thermodynamics i.e.

• First law:- energy may be transformed from o ne form to another but i t can neither
be created nor be destroyed .

• Second l aw :- processes i nv ol vi ng energy transformati on does not occur

spontaneously unl ess there is degradati on of energy from a non -random to a
random form. The en er gy in living or ganisms is in non-random form i.e. in the form of
chemical b ond s of b iomolecul es, b ut when their d ecomp osition occur s th e non-rand om
energy is conver te d to random form by the decomp ose r s to simpler form.
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The Ten
Percent Law
• The concept was introduced by
Raymond Lindeman.

• According to this law, during

the transfer of energy from
organic food from one trophic
level to the next, only ten
percent of the energy from
organic matter is stored as
flesh.

• The remaining is lost during

transfer, broken down in
respiration, or lost to
incomplete digestion by higher
trophic level.
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 Food Chain
• Transfer of food energy through a series
of different organisms in the ecosystem
is called food chain.

• In simple term is a linked feeding series.

• Two major types of food chains:

1. Grazing food chain: It starts with green

plants and culminates in carnivores.

2. Detritus food chain: It starts with dead

organic matter which the detritivores
and decomposers consume.

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 Food Web

Thus food web is a network of food

chains where different types of
organisms are connected at different
trophic levels, so that there are a
number of options of eating and
being eaten at each trophic levels.

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